My first boat race!

[*BiGBonES**]

I had my first boat race in Reading, which is a really nice area in England. The race was a 5k, and this is the first time our whole crew have been in a proper race, so there were a lot of nervous people around.

 

We set off from a place called Cavershame bridge and slowly rowed our way towards the start line, which was 5kilometers away so it gave us time to refine our technique:

On the way up to the start looking around at the river bank to see some beautiful houses and the landscape was fantastic. There was this one mansion that had a heli-pad erected on the lawn with a mobile helicopter resting on it, then a shed on the water with a few motor-boats and jet ski's!

 

When we got to the start we had to wait around for about an hour for all the other crews to row up and get in a nice order so we could start the race. For those not familiar with the starting theme in big boat races, you get about 100 boats lined up down a river and then all row up to the start line with a 10 second gap between each boat and start the race using a rolling start. The positions are then based on the final times.

 

We set off well and the two crews that were behind us slowly started gaining on us We kept trying to hold the first crew off by putting in some powerful strokes but then disaster struck and we managed to lock our oars with their boat, driving us both to halt. We let them get off first as supposedly it was out fault, and whilst we let them get out of our mix up another crew over took us We tried to keep up but couldn't handle it after having to stop and get going again. We finished near the end of the field in total, but it was a really good time and we all learnt a lot.

 

Heres some pictures of the end of the race: (I'm the third one in from the front of the boat - with a face that looks like its going to explode - but thats what you should look like at the end of a 5k boat race )

Edited March 9, 2006 by *BiGBonES**

[wayfarer]

Sounds like you really love this stuff Bigbones!! What place

did you guys come in? Is it not too cold for this? Here in Canada

your boat would have to be equipped with steel blades to attept

something like that at this time of the year. LOL!

[*BiGBonES**]

I'm unsure about the exact position we finished in, but I know we came in the last 20%. The race wasn't really about where we finished, it was more about getting the experience in for the biggest race in England which is on March the 27th I think. Its called the 8's head, and it takes place on the Thames. That race will be 7.5km, and will have about 500 boats racing!! At the start of that race we have to wait aaround in the water for about 3 hours before we can get going due to the huge amount of boats that need to row down to the start and then line up etc.

 

I'lllet you in on a funny story about the race. We were drinking this energy drink called GoMax PSP which is ment to keep you going for longer. Little did we know that it goes straight through your body and within 10minutes your dying for a wee. As we were waiting around for an hour up there the whole crew had to urinate off the side of the boat - or in a bottle (at the end we all did it about twice I think - ). The funnier thing was that there were all these old men and women taking afternoon stolls down the path next the river, and about 100 other boats looking at you, so when you wee the pressure is really on. Only god knows that its going to be like when we have to wait around for 3hours in our next big race

Edited March 9, 2006 by *BiGBonES**

[lostoften]

Nice, I would have just jumped in the water to pee

[*BiGBonES**]

Our crew had a terrible race on saturday. Partially due to the fact that our cox was rubbish/hadn't coxed us before so he didn't make good calls. Our whole boat just felt frustrated. Rowing isn't about how big and strong you are, its all about technique, you know this is the case when 2 boats full of 16 year olds pass a university crew .

 

This saturday theres the final race of the season along the thames, I mentioned it above, the one with over 450 boats taken palce. In total we'll end up rowing about 25k, but the actual race is a hard and long 7.5km of pain. Its the same course as the oxford v cambridge boat race, a big traditional event in the english calender, but backwards. Our target for the race will be to keep out technique sound and have fun, as thats the end of competitive rowing till septemeber (where hopefully I'll be moved up in the 1st team )

The course:

 

I'll post up with pictures after saturday

[whudats]

That's pretty cool man. Good luck with the last race.

 

Our target for the race will be to keep our technique sound and have fun

 

Sounds like a good goal to have, and not just for racing...